| Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC |
|---|
| Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST |
| Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times. |
When you get the chance to play in front of a home crowd on Centre Court, you’ve got to use the support and the atmosphere to your advantage as much as you can.
I saw the end of Jo Konta’s win over Donna Vekic in the gym while I was waiting to go on, and her calmness in such a tense finish really impressed me.
A number of times she was pretty close to getting broken at the end – she was 0-30 down – and she stayed focused and managed to get through it.
You saw right at the end just how much emotion she had inside her. You don’t see Jo react like that too much and certainly not during a match, but it’s obviously in there.
She can go a long way here. She’s certainly good enough, and hopefully Wednesday’s match was the first of many on Centre Court.
It’s difficult to give other players advice because playing on that court is obviously a great experience but everyone deals with those things differently; everyone has different personalities.
I found for myself that when I’ve been in tight matches like Jo’s on Wednesday, maybe engaging the crowd a little more can help – but that might not be something she’s comfortable doing.
She remains very calm on the court and that’s a positive thing, but there can be times out there when it’s good to let the emotions out as well.
Playing with the crowd on your side is not a regular experience for most tennis players and it can take some getting used to.
We play all over the world and I’d say 90% of the time in matches it’s a fairly neutral crowd.
Obviously when you play against Roger or Rafa or Novak in different places they have huge, huge fanbases and people may want them to win, but most of the time people just want to see a great match. They want to be entertained.
But when we’re playing at Wimbledon, pretty much all of the crowd want the Brits to win, and using that to your advantage and enjoying it and embracing it can really make the difference.
It always feels a little bit different out on Centre Court, not just because of the crowd but also the history there.
You can tell how much they want you to win because they live every point from the very first game, often groaning or sighing when you make a mistake. You need to try and block that out for sure, but then it’s part of the Centre Court experience.
Maybe the first few times it can be frustrating to hear that, or you can worry a little bit, but now I know exactly what to expect when I go out on that court.
Jo is top 10 in the world, she’s British and looking to get into the second week for the first time here.
She will play more and more matches on that court and hopefully over time become more and more comfortable. Wednesday’s match will have done her a lot of good, that’s for sure.
Fabio Fognini is one player who does let his feelings show on court.
I expect a really serious test when we play on Friday because he’s good off both forehand and backhand, and can hit a lot of winners. This will be our first meeting on grass, so we’ll see how that changes things.
We’re the same age and we grew up playing each other pretty much since we were 12, so I’ve known Fabio a long time as well as his family, because his dad, mum and sister have come to a lot of tournaments over the years.
On the court he can sometimes be a little bit different out there and show his emotions a lot – but then so can I.
Despite the extrovert competitor you see on court, he’s nice and friendly off it and I’ve always got on well with him. I’m looking forward to seeing him out on Centre Court.
Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Piers Newbery
| Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC |
|---|
| Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST |
| Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times. |
Johanna Konta says the British success at this year’s Wimbledon is “great to be part of” and these are exciting times for home fans at the tournament.
Konta, Andy Murray, Heather Watson and Aljaz Bedene all won on Wednesday as four British players reached round three for the first time in 20 years.
Kyle Edmund can join them if he beats Gael Monfils on Thursday.
“It is happening because we have got some great players,” Konta said. “I think that is a good enough reason.”
Konta beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 10-8 in a thrilling match on Centre Court after Watson’s 6-0 6-4 win over Latvian 18th seed Anastasija Sevastova.
It is the first time since Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs reached the same stage in 1986 that there have been two British women in round three.
In the men’s draw, defending champion Murray beat Dustin Brown in straight sets and Bedene reached the third round at SW19 for the first time by overcoming Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It is a great movement to be part of personally for me,” Konta added. “It is also something that I am sure is very exciting to the spectators that are coming to the Championships this year.
“I absolutely love playing in front of Brit crowds. Not many players get a home Slam, so I feel very fortunate about that.”
It is also 20 years since Britain last had five players in the third round at Wimbledon, when Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, Mark Petchey, Andrew Richardson and Karen Cross reached that stage.
Murray says the home results are “a positive thing” but feels British players should be aiming to go even deeper in Grand Slams.
“It is obviously good to have more players playing in the Slams and winning matches but hopefully we can keep going,” the Scot said.
“I wouldn’t say that this is the target – to get five players into the third round. We obviously want to try to do better than that.
“I don’t know what the level is, but aim as high as you can. Why not try to get five or six players into the quarter-finals of Slams?
“It’s better to set the goal as high as possible and fall a little bit short than go ‘yeah, we’re delighted with five or six players in the second or third round of a Slam’.
“I’d rather set the goal at reaching second weeks and quarter-finals and contending for Slams.”
Murray plays Italy’s clay-court specialist Fabio Fognini next, while Bedene is up against Luxembourg’s veteran Gilles Muller.
“I think the surface is the defining factor for Murray,” said four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman.
“His head-to-head record is 3-3 with Fabio, but they have never played on a grass court.
“With Murray’s pedigree on this surface and the support of this crowd, I think he should be OK coming through that one.”
Konta meets Greece’s Maria Sakkari in round three, while Watson plays Victoria Azarenka, who is in her first Grand Slam since taking a year off to have a baby.
Watson came within two points of beating Wimbledon legend Serena Williams on Centre Court in 2015, and is likely to return to that stage to play the Belarusian on Friday.
Has Watson got a chance of making round four this time?
“It really depends on how Azarenka is hitting the ball,” said former British number one Sam Smith.
“She has got world-class ground-strokes, and she has been number one in the world. If Azarenka gets into a big rhythm, then her shots could be too heavy for Heather.
“But Heather is playing really well and Azarenka has only been back for a couple of tournaments so this is a good time to play her.
“With Jo, she has just taken to the big stage incredibly well when you think most of her career has been playing on the outside courts.
“I thought her composure on Centre Court was exceptional. Her mental toughness too – that impresses me more. Her all-round game was very good but her serving under pressure was exceptional.
“I don’t think she is going to be any more confident after winning it because she is super confident anyway and she is going to be very tough to beat at this year’s championships.”
No British woman has won Wimbledon since Virginia Wade in 1977, nor matched Durie’s run to the last eight in 1984.
A repeat of Wade’s win is still a long way off but there are plenty of reasons for British tennis fans to smile right now.
Just when you thought Wednesday couldn’t get any better for them, last year’s hero Marcus Willis won a five-set thriller in the men’s doubles with Jay Clarke.
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Kei Nishikori overcame the serve-and-volleying Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, who famously upset Roger Federer in 2013, 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-1, 7-6(6) on Wednesday at The Championships. Nishikori is looking to advance past the fourth round this fortnight and post his best Wimbledon result yet during his ninth appearance.
Last year at Wimbledon, the Japanese right-hander had to retire from his fourth-round contest against Marin Cilic. Last month, Nishikori also had to pull out of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle with a left hip injury.
But the ninth seed looked in good health against Stakhovsky, who qualified and was playing in the Wimbledon second round for the fifth time. Nishikori had two set points in the second set to take a commanding two-sets-to-zero lead but the 33-year-old Stakhovsky stayed in the set and evened the match with an ace out wide in the tie-break.
Nishikori, though, quickly bounced back, winning the third set in 35 minutes, and in a back-and-forth tie-break in the fourth set, Nishikori hit a service winner to prevail on his third match point and move into the third round.
The 27-year-old Nishikori will next face 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat German Peter Gojowczyk 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 17 minutes. The Spaniard’s best Wimbledon result came in 2015 when he reached the fourth round. But Bautista Agut has never beaten Nishikori, who leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-0.
Daniil Medvedev tosses a number of coins towards the referee following his defeat by Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans in the second round at Wimbledon.
| Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC |
|---|
| Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST |
| Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times. |
Britain’s Heather Watson matched her best Wimbledon run with a stunning second-round win over Latvia’s 18th seed Anastasija Sevastova.
Watson, 25, won 6-0 6-4 in just over an hour to reach the third round for the third time in her career.
The Guernsey player raced to the first set in 19 minutes, then fought back from two breaks down in the second.
She will play either former world number one Victoria Azarenka or 15th seed Elena Vesnina in the last 32.
The former British number one has dropped outside the world’s top 100 after reaching a high of 38 in January 2015.
Speaking to BBC One, Watson said: “I felt very good at the beginning of match, very on it and relaxed, more than I was in my first match. I obviously know how she plays, she is a great player and I was expecting the best.
“She started to step up in the second set but I was able to keep my cool and just stick with her.
“I feel like I’m seeing the ball very big and am moving well.”
More to follow.
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